Home Entertainment Madonna owes $1M to Russian government over LGBTQ+ speech – Entertainment News

Madonna owes $1M to Russian government over LGBTQ+ speech – Entertainment News

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Madonna owes $1M to Russian government over LGBTQ+ speech – Entertainment News

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The Canadian Press – Jul 20, 2020 / 11:32 am | Story: 305730

Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which had hoped to herald Hollywood’s return to big theatrical releases, has yet again postponed its release due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Warner Bros. said Monday that “Tenet” will not make its August 12 release date. Unlike previous delays, the studio this time didn’t announce a new target for the release of Nolan’s much-anticipated $200 million thriller.

“Tenet” had already shifted from July 17, then July 31 and then Aug. 12. Nolan, a staunch advocate for the big-screen experience, has strenuously hoped that “Tenet” could lead the resumption of nationwide and global moviegoing.

But the surge of the virus across much of the U.S. has upended the industry’s aims for even a late-August return. Last week, California ordered its cinemas closed.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said the studio will soon share a new “2020 release date” for “Tenet.” It may be a much different rollout, with the film opening in staggered international release.

“We are not treating ‘Tenet’ like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that,” said Emmerich.

Emmerich said the pandemic’s spread has forced the studio to reevaluate its plans. Warner Bros. also shifted the horror sequel “The Conjuring 3? from Sept. 11 to June 4, 2021.

“Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theatre partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen,” said Emmerich. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from exhibitors and remain steadfast in our commitment to the theatrical experience around the world.”

Other films have planned their releases partially around the launch of “Tenet.” Walt Disney Co.’s “Mulan” remains scheduled for theatrical release on Aug. 21.

Movie theatres remain in a precarious limbo. Without new releases, U.S. indoor theatres and drive-ins that are open have played mostly older films and a smattering of smaller new releases.

Before the recent spike in the coronavirus crisis, theatre chains have sought to assure moviegoers with protocols like limiting theatres to 25-50% capacity and cleaning seats in between showings.

But months of closed theatres and no new product has put enormous pressure on an already stressed business. AMC Theaters, the world’s largest chain, recently reached a debt deal to help itself remain solvent.

AMC has been aiming to reopen most locations July 30. Cineworld, which owns Regal Cinemas, had set July 31 for its reopening.

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:57 am | Story: 305717

Kanye West made headlines for all the wrong reasons following his first presidential campaign rally in Charleston, S.C., on Sunday.

The Gold Digger hitmaker wore a bulletproof ‘Security’ vest as he took over the Exquis Event Center, sharing his beliefs about slavery, social media and the opioid crisis in America amid his bid to take over the White House in November.

While the star discussed his anti-abortion stance, revealing his mom, Donda—the namesake of his forthcoming album, to be released Friday—“saved his life” after his dad pressured her for an abortion and admitting he asked wife Kim Kardashian to do the same with daughter North, it was his views about activist Harriet Tubman that riled fans.

During the rally, West claimed the activist, who fled a slave plantation before returning 19 times, helping at least 70 others to freedom via the underground railway—the network of secret routes that enabled their escape—did not free slaves, insisting, “She just had them work for other white people!”

Taking to Twitter in their hordes, fans slammed the rapper-turned-politician, who suffers from bipolar disorder, with The View co-host Meghan McCain writing: “Kanye West needs serious help, not media coverage.”

“Kanye West needs help, and it’s a shame that him not getting it is going to cost the Black community which he once cared for so deeply,” added writer Frederick Joseph, as others called on the media to “stop picking on Kanye West, and get the man the help he needs right now.”

“If Kanye West is having a meltdown maybe it’s best for the press to just leave him alone and encourage him to get the help that he needs as a human being,” another reflected. “Judging his outrageous comments about Harriet Tubman and other matters is not going to help the situation if he is not well.”

West has yet to respond to his critics on Twitter. However, he did share two sketches of the White House, with the worlds “Vision” and “The West Wing,” alongside the hashtag “2020VISION.”

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:50 am | Story: 305715

John Boyega has left his Star Wars role of Finn behind him.

The British star debuted as the rogue stormtrooper, who flees the First Order and joins forces with Rey (Daisy Ridley) and later the Resistance, in 2015’s The Force Awakens. He most recently appeared in the role in last year’s The Rise of Skywalker.

However, addressing fan speculation surrounding a possible return, after the actor shared a snap of himself back on set, he put to bed any rumours of a reprisal.

In response to one fan, who wrote, “Force Finn in action with Green lightsaber dressed in black is all I want from the next SW film,” Boyega replied: “lol no thank you. I’ve moved on.”

When another user added, “really just got those Disney bucks and dipped,” he explained: “nope. Not into playing one role for too long. I have more to offer than that. That’s all.”

The star was noticeably quiet when a third fan offered that he’d stepped down as Finn due to the quality of recent instalments of the science fiction franchise, but insisted he’s not opposed to revisiting other past roles.

After a user questioned whether Boyega would ever return as Moses, his breakout role in Joe Cornish’s 2011 Attack the Block, he replied, “I haven’t played Moses in over a decade. I’d love to revisit him. Now he is a BADA-S.”

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:42 am | Story: 305714

Amber Heard has alleged Johnny Depp “explicitly threatened to kill me many times” during the course of their marriage.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing bosses at Britain’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) for libel after he was labelled a “wife beater” in a 2018 article published in The Sun.

Depp has vehemently denied accusations of domestic violence levelled at him by his ex-wife, but as she took to the witness stand at London’s High Court on Monday, the Aquaman star alleged Depp told her “death was the only way out” of their marriage and threatened her life on several occasions.

“Some incidents were so severe that I was afraid he was going to kill me, either intentionally or just by losing control and going too far,” she claimed in her witness statement. “He explicitly threatened to kill me many times, especially later in our relationship.”

Heard claimed Depp told her he would kill her if she ever tried to leave him, adding the Sweeney Todd star “talked about our relationship being ‘dead or alive’ and telling me that death was the only way out of the relationship; the way he would describe what he wanted to do to me if I left him or hurt him.”

She went on to allege Depp called her a “w–re” and said he wanted to watch her “get railed by a bunch of f–king fellas,” adding the insults also included racial epithets, telling her she “deserved” to be assaulted by Mexican and black men.

“He demeaned me anytime I tried to wear anything that could be seen as sexy, calling me a ‘w–re,’ ‘s–t,’ ‘fame-hungry’ and ‘an attention w–re,’ but it got worse over time,” Heard explained, alleging Depp would also insult her looks.

“His verbal abuse was often sexualized, but it was also about my looks and related to my work, saying things like ‘no one will hire you when your t-ts and a-s sag’ or calling me ‘fat a-s,’” she continued. “Sometimes I would react and give it back to him, calling him ‘old man’ or ‘limp d–k.’ He would often refer to my verbal insults as ‘right hooks’ or ‘sucker-punches.’”

The Justice League star also told the court Depp kicked her in the back during a fiery argument on a flight from Boston to L.A. in May 2014, recalling: “At one point, I got up to move elsewhere on the plane and he said, ‘Are you f–king walking away from me?’ and he kicked me hard in the back.

“He kept verbally abusing me, saying things like ‘When we land, I can call some black brothers who can f–k you if you’re so desperate for it,’” she detailed, revealing the actor later texted her an apology claiming his “illness somehow crept up and grabbed me … I must get better. And I will.”

Depp has repeatedly insisted he was the victim and that Heard abused him, accusing her of striking him with a glass vodka bottle, leaving him with a severed finger, among other incidents. His exes Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis have both spoken in his favour.

The trial continues.

WENN – | Story: 305712

Madonna claims to owe the Russian government $1 million for publicly supporting LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

Although the Russian government decriminalized homosexuality decades ago, the country has remained socially conservative and, in 2012, the Moscow city government ordered that gay pride parades be banned for the next 100 years.

Following the passing of the legislation, the star visited the country on her The MDNA Tour and, during an Aug. 9, 2012, show in St. Petersburg, she delivered a moving speech, praising love and freedom and comparing LGBTQ+ fights to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

The Vogue hitmaker added that gay people should be treated with love and dignity, insisting religion shouldn’t be used to promote hate or discrimination towards any group.

While at the time it was reported that Madonna was to be fined $17,000 over the incident, she took to social media on Monday to reveal it was actually a much higher amount.

Sharing a clip from the concert and revealing the fine, she wrote: “I made this speech at a concert in St. Petersburg 8 years ago. I was fined 1 million dollars by The government for supporting the Gay community.

“I never paid,” Madonna insisted, alongside the hashtags “#freedomofspeech #powertothepeople #mdna.”

Madonna has been a lifelong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and was last year honoured with the GLAAD Advocate for Change Award for her ongoing activism.

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:26 am | Story: 305711

Russell Wilson is “concerned” about returning to the pitch during the COVID-19 crisis, due to wife Ciara’s pregnancy.

The singer is currently expecting her second child with the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, who took to Twitter to admit he’s worried the NFL training camp could pose a health risk to his family.

“I am concerned. My wife is pregnant,” he penned. “@NFL Training camp is about to start… And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety.”

Wilson, who already shares three-year-old daughter Sienna with the Level Up singer, added: “We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones. #WeWantToPlay.”

While the NFL season was suspended amid the coronavirus outbreak, it was recently revealed that training camp would start again as early as July 28, according to Sports Illustrated.

Despite the push for the league to continue, more than 70 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began.

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:21 am | Story: 305710

Robert Downey Jr. is the latest in a string of Marvel stars to reach out to a young boy who sustained serious injuries while saving his sister from a dog attack.

Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans were the first to praise young fan Bridger Walker after his aunt, Nikki Walker, started an account on Instagram to explain how her “hero” nephew “took on the attack so that the dog wouldn’t get his sister.”

According to his family, Walker underwent surgery that lasted around two hours, and received more than 90 stitches to heal injuries sustained to his face and head.

After tagging several stars in the post, which included a picture of Walker displaying his wounds, Ruffalo responded, telling the youngster he, “truly respect(s) and admire(s) your courage and your heart,” and adding: “Real courage isn’t dominating people or fighting against people or walking around like a tough guy. You are more of a man than many, many I have seen or known.”

Meanwhile, Evans later recorded a special video message for Walker, as he promised to send him an official Captain America shield.

“Pal, you’re a hero. What you did was so brave, so selfless—your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother,” he said in the clip. “Keep being the man you are, we need people like you.”

However, the gesture wasn’t enough for Downey Jr., who said in his message, “Bridger, you’re a rock star. My name’s Robert Downey Jr., I play “Tony, (Stark/Iron Man) that makes me an old friend of Cap’s.

“I heard he sent a shield your way: I’m going to do one better. You call me on your next birthday, I got something special for you,” he added.

While the star didn’t reveal anything further about the gesture, he teased, “By the way, that’s a promise; a promise beats a shield.”

WENN – Jul 20, 2020 / 9:14 am | Story: 305709

Nicki Minaj has confirmed she is expecting her first child.

The rapper announced she was pregnant in a Monday morning social media post.

“#Preggers,” the 37-year-old captioned a shot of her baby bump.

She previously sparked pregnancy speculation in early May, when she tweeted, “No throwing up. But nausea and peeing non stop. Omg what do u think this means guys????”

Minaj then teased she would be sharing a baby bump photo “in a couple months,” adding: “The world ain’t ready yet.”

The Anaconda hitmaker has had motherhood on her mind for years and back in 2014 she told Complex magazine, “(I fear) I’ll become so consumed with work that I’ll forget to live my personal life to the fullest. If I’m done with my fifth album and I don’t have a child by then, no matter how much money I have, I would be disappointed, as a woman, because I feel like I was put here to be a mother…”

She added, “I definitely will be married before I have my baby. I want to make sure I do it in that order. I’ve always felt like that since I was young; my mother always put that in my head.”

Minaj and her baby’s father, Kenneth Petty, wed in October 2019.

WENN – Jul 19, 2020 / 7:15 pm | Story: 305685

Nick Jonas paid a special tribute to his actress wife Priyanka Chopra as she turned 38 on Saturday.

The Sucker singer marked the occasion on Instagram, sharing a snap of the loved-up pair cuddling up and adding a sweet caption.

“I could stare into your eyes forever,” he gushed. “I love you baby. You are the most thoughtful, caring and wonderful person I have ever met. I am so grateful we found one another. Happy birthday beautiful.”

The couple tied the knot in December, 2018 following a whirlwind courtship and recently celebrated the second anniversary of its first date in May.

The Baywatch star wrote: “2 years ago today we took our very first picture together. Every day since then you have brought me endless joy and happiness. I love you @nickjonas Thank you for making our life together so incredible. Here’s to many more date nights.”

WENN – Jul 17, 2020 / 7:47 am | Story: 305543

Nick Cannon’s fans are concerned for his well being after his racism controversy left him admitting things “couldn’t get any worse.”

The 39-year-old actor, rapper, and TV host hit headlines on Tuesday for anti-Semitic comments shared on his show, Cannon’s Class, on which he branded white people “savages” who act “evil” and “rob, steal, rape, kill in order to survive.”

His comments sparked a backlash online, and prompted bosses at U.S. TV network ViacomCBS to sever ties with him, leading to Mariah Carey’s ex-husband issuing a grovelling apology, expressing his “deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth.”

Despite bosses at Fox standing by the star and renewing his contract on The Masked Singer U.S., Cannon went on to announce he is “taking time away” from his Los Angeles radio show – and his subsequent posts alarmed fans that the star is struggling amid the scandal.

“I hurt an entire community and it pained me to my core, I thought it couldn’t get any worse,” he penned. “Then I watched my own community turn on me and call me a sell-out for apologizing. Goodnight. Enjoy Earth.”

Many users on the social media site were concerned over the ominous ending to the tweet, with one fan asking, “am I the only one worried bout that enjoy earth line?”

Another said, “Don’t do anything crazy bro,” while a third user penned, “This tone concerns me. Peace to you immediately.”

Despite fans checking in on the father-of-three, he failed to reassure he was well with a second post, simply reading, “Y’all can have this planet. I’m out,” leading to further worry among his followers.

WENN – Jul 17, 2020 / 7:44 am | Story: 305542

A forgotten 1979 version of Prince hit I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man has dropped online to mark the upcoming release of the expanded reissue of the music icon’s Sign O’ the Times album.

The song was first recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in May, 1979, while Prince was recording his self-titled debut album, but the song wasn’t released for seven years, when it became one of the hits on 1986’s Sign O’ The Times, alongside the title track, If I Was Your Girlfriend, and U Got the Look, a duet with Sheena Easton.

The album re-issue, featuring the original version of I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, will be released in September.

Meanwhile, a SiriusXM radio channel devoted to the music of Prince has returned to the airwaves following the success of a run earlier this summer.

WENN – Jul 17, 2020 / 7:42 am | Story: 305541

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have bid farewell to their late dog with a touching photo of the pet at the pair’s wedding.

The 62-year-old actress and comedian took to Twitter on Thursday to post a shot from her 2008 nuptials, featuring their pet Wolf. In the image, de Rossi is holding the dog as DeGeneres gives him a kiss.

“Last night we had to say goodbye to our dog Wolf,” DeGeneres wrote alongside the photo. “He brought us so much love and joy. I hope we did the same for him.”

The talk show host and de Rossi also share dogs Augie and Kid, as well as cats Charlie, George, and Chairman.

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